Rain Check
by M2S
Summary: A Sniclet (Snickers Ficlet). Why was Nick in such a hurry to get out of the lab during "Weeping Willows"? A Fluffy One Shot.


Disclaimer: Don't own them.

Author's Note: A little Sniclet I couldn't get out of my head. Post-Weeping Willows with spoilers for Committed.

* * *

Rain Check

"Rain check," he said. "Rain check!" he said again, trying not to see how let down Catherine was that neither he nor Warrick were coming out with her after shift … again. He had plans, big plans. And though he liked Catherine, and was getting used to working for her, this was bigger than intra-shift bonding.

He ran into Greg and Sara in the break room, as was his plan. They were talking and smiling, Greg being his goofball self. Nick was glad to see that even though Greg's choice in clothes had gotten slightly more conservative since he became a CSI, his hair was still sticking up in all directions. Though he gave him a hard time, he liked that Greg kept a sense of himself. Too many people lost themselves in the job. He could name two especially: Sara and Gil.

"Hey Dude. Good to see ya," Greg said when Nick stuck his head in the break room. "I was just making some coffee. You want a cup?" As much as Nick would have liked to stop and chat with Sara and Greg over Blue Hawaiian, he had a lot to get done, and he didn't want to incur the wrath of Catherine by appearing to do nothing when he had just blown her off.

"Love to, Greggo, but I've got to rush. Uh Sara, could I ask you something? Just walk with me to the locker room," Nick cajoled. Greg was giving him a look that could only be called "the stink-eye".

"Grissom will be here in a minute," he warned Sara. She gave him a "who cares" shrug of her shoulders and followed Nick to his locker.

"What's up Stud?" she teased. Nick smiled. She only called him that when no one else could hear her. She had started when they had worked a case several years ago. One of the college girls she had been interviewing had called Nick "studly". Sara had teased him about it mercilessly. Then it had just become habit. "Haven't seen much of you lately." She sat on the bench while he got his bag.

"Yeah, it's been loco. You and Greg seem to be getting along well. That working out OK?" Nick asked.

"I thought he was going to drive me crazy, but it's been fun. Different to be the instructor for once," she said and smiled. Nick was glad that her smile seemed to be around more in the last few weeks. Even after the incident at the metal hospital, she had been surprisingly upbeat, more like the old Sara. Nick knew what it felt like to be at gunpoint, but to have a suspect holding a shard to your neck. He couldn't imagine how Sara was dealing with it. Nick and Warrick had made a point of taking her out to breakfast a day after the incident. Nick had been hot, especially about Gil leaving her alone. Warrick had been just as angry about it.

"Girl, if we need to kick someone's ass, you would tell us, right?" Warrick had said, making Nick grin despite his anger. It had made Sara smile too, a genuine big, gap toothed smile that used to be so familiar. She had rolled her eyes and taken Warrick's hand into her own, patting it.

"You guys are great. It's like having two big brothers," she said, taking a bite of her veggie burger. Nick had put his arm around her shoulders at that moment and squeezed her slightly. She had patted his leg. She swallowed and took a drink of her water. "I'm fine. It was a lapse of judgment for both Gris and myself. Neither one of us thought for a minute that Adam would be out wandering the halls."

"Well, Warrick and I would be glad to give Gris a refresher on how to treat you. Greg too, if need be. We know they can't compare to us, but it might help," Nick had said. He felt better, seeing her laugh it off. Warrick had relaxed and was actually smiling too, instead of looking beleaguered.

"So what did you want to ask me that you couldn't ask in front of Greggo?" Sara said, bringing Nick back to the present. He sat down beside her, straddling the bench so that he could face her.

"Do you think I could crash at your place this morning?" he asked.

"Sure, what's up? You need a key?" Sara said, starting to dig through her pants pocket. Nick was surprised that she didn't quiz him.

"No, I still got the old one you gave me when I was watering your plants that time," he said. "I just didn't want Greg to aggravate you about it."

"I can handle Greg," Sara said, grinning. "What's going on at your place?"

"Water's off. Main line was busted. I had to take a shower here this afternoon. I may not have water until late tomorrow. You sure you don't mind?" Nick said.

"No. If you're lucky, I might even bring home pizza after shift," she said.

"You're the best, Sar," Nick said, hopping up off the bench. He rushed out, a list of things to accomplish in his head. Tonight was one of the nights he was glad Vegas was a 24 hour city. Sara walked back to the break room.

"So," Greg said slowly, trying to act nonchalant and failing, "what did Nick want?" He was a little miffed that Nick wouldn't ask in front of him. What did he think, that Greg was a gossip? It wasn't like he was Hodges.

"His water's off at his place. He just needed a place to crash," Sara said.

"So why not go to Warrick's?" Greg asked.

"I don't know," Sara said. It hadn't even occurred to her until Greg asked. "My place might be a little cleaner," she offered.

"I don't know. If Warrick's place is anything like his kit, it would make Martha Stewart envious," Greg offered. Sara giggled.

"Well, I've just been inside the front door, and it looked pretty neat," she conceded. "I know," she said, realization dawning on her. "Warrick probably had a hot date." Greg nodded at the plausibility.

At that moment, Grissom waved them into the small conference room that served as their meeting point each shift start. The cases they had looked to be tough, so all discussion of Nick left both Sara and Greg's minds.

Nick had hustled, and though he didn't get everything just as he had planned, it was pretty close. He was beat, and the cool air of Sara's house welcomed him as he let himself inside. At first glance, not much had changed since the last time he had been inside. But then he noticed a few little things.

There was a Cosmo magazine on Sarah's table. It was lying there with the other mail. She was actually subscribing! She had a couple of rentals from the movie store. Nick picked them up. He knew Sara liked movies of all kinds. She was really kind of a movie geek when you got down to it. But even these titles surprised him. "The Notebook" and "Sweet Home Alabama" were not Sara's usual choices. The last one didn't surprise him. "Star Wars: Episode II" was lying there as well; Sara was getting ready for the big premiere in a couple of weeks. He wondered if she already had her ticket and who she would go with to see the third and final "Star Wars".

Nick walked back to the spare bedroom. He poked his head into Sara's room, being nosy. She had redecorated. Instead of the neutrals that had dominated before, Sara had gone bolder. Reds, purples and rich greens were mixed together, though the look was thought out and well put together.

"Damn. Sara has discovered she has a feminine side again," Nick thought, and he was glad. He set down his bags and started getting to work.

Sara finished the last of her paperwork and stretched slowly. It had been a long shift, and she had the next shift off. She planned on watching some movies and putting the finishing touches on her redecorated bedroom. She looked at her watch, noted her OT on her timesheet and shuffled towards the locker room. Greg had already left; she had promised to finish the paperwork without him since he did have next shift. She nodded to the dayshift techs as she walked towards the exit.

She drove in that automatic mode everyone has, singing along with the radio. She had gotten half way home when she remembered Nicky. He would cringe if he heard anyone but Catherine and Gil calling him that. She snickered to herself. She called her favorite pizza joint and ordered two pizzas – veggie special with artichoke hearts and extra cheese for her and supreme for Nick. She even took a 6 pack to go. She wasn't sure how Nick would feel about beer as soon as he woke up, but she could use a beer and a hot bath. Maybe Nick would feel like sitting up and watching "Star Wars: Episode II" with her. She knew it wasn't his favorite. He preferred the original and "Empire Strikes Back". She knew he secretly loved Han Solo, but then, didn't everyone?

She had almost asked him to go with her to the "Episode III" premiere in a couple of weeks. She was going to the midnight showing the night it opened. She was even getting off thirty minutes early. Nick would have had to take several hours or the whole shift off, and she wasn't sure if he would want to or not. Warrick had mentioned that he was going. It turned out he had the shift off, so she had offered her extra ticket to him. It felt good to be reconnecting with the guys. She had definitely had her head up her ass the past year. Her counselor was helping her with a lot.

Sara dialed her home telephone. Nick didn't answer, but then she hadn't expected him to do so. She talked to the answering machine as if he were listening, because maybe he was.

"Hey Stud. I've got your favorite pizza and a few brews. And diet soda if you'd rather have that. Anyway, I'll be home in a couple of minutes. Pop a movie in the DVD if you'd like." She hung up, a little self conscious about talking to her own answering machine.

Nick was grinning as he listened to her talking to the answering machine. Time to put a plan in action.

Sara got to her house and fumbled with the keys as she stood trying to balance the pizzas, the six-pack and her bag. She was saved when the door opened for her. Nick grinned at her precarious position and began taking the pizzas and beer from her.

"You could have made two trips, or asked for my help," he said. She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. His hair was wet and he was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was just a bit tight, showing off his muscles. "How was your shift?"

"Brutal," she answered. "I am just glad I have the evening off. Speaking of which …" her voice trailed off as smelled something familiar. "What am I smelling?" she asked. Nick looked a little abashed.

"Well, I decided that someone needed to give you a night off. Totally off, so I made a few arrangements," he walked towards her bedroom. She followed, the familiar smell going stronger.

Her master bathroom was alight with candles, everywhere, in her favorite scent, gardenias. It had always reminded her of her great-aunt's house, a house that had been a refuge in her youth. Her bath had been drawn for her, and a bottle of her favorite Pinot Grigio sat on the edge of the garden tub with a glass. She turned and gave Nick a stare.

"What is all of this?" she asked, surprised and something else. Was she a little bit nervous?

"Hey, you've had a rough month, and I didn't feel like I was there for you, enough, anyway. I couldn't get a spa booked this quickly, so I made a spa for you. At least, my idea of one. Never been," he said, trailing off. He had started out so confidant, but he could feel that running out when faced with Sara's look. "So, soak in the bath – drink your wine. I'll have your pizza waiting on you in the living room, where we can watch a few movies of my choice." He exited quickly, closing the door on her bathroom. Only then did Sara realize that there was a beautiful bouquet on the vanity, as well as a basket of products from a spa she had gone to once a couple of years before. She had raved about their products for weeks. Evidently Nick had remembered and had gotten them for her. A silky, chinois inspired robe was draped by the basket. He had really gone all out. She wanted to go out and protest, but if she did that, her bath water would be cold, and her wine would be too warm.

"What the hell," she thought and began stripping down. But Nick had some questions to answer when she got through.

Nick placed the pizza in the oven to try and retain as much heat as possible. If he knew Sara like he thought he did, she wouldn't care if the pizza was cold and she was really hungry. He had noticed that she had gotten him a supreme. They knew each other too well.

He also knew that she would over analyze the heck out of his actions. The truth was, he had been planning to do this for a week. He had even gotten Catherine to switch days off with him so that he and Sara could have the same one. He had only told Catherine that he had some plans.

The girl at the spa had made the basket up for him and had pointed out the silk robe. It was gorgeous and just the sort of luxurious, girlie type of thing that Sara would never do for herself. When he had laid it out beside the basket to pay, the girl had commented that her boyfriend would never spend all of that on her. Nick had just smiled at her, but it made him think.

And he had been thinking about it the whole time he had been setting up the candles. Why was he doing this? The reason he gave Sara was the reason he had given himself. Now that his plan was in action, he was wondering. And the thoughts of Sara in her bathroom, soaking in the salts he had bought, putting on the lotion he had bought were making his thoughts decidedly more than friendly. He tried to shake those thoughts from his mind.

He had popped open one of the beers Sara had brought home. He had the DVD on ready, and the plates out on the countertop.

Sara felt really good. She snuffed the candles out one by one and stared at her reflection in her mirror. The robe was a gorgeous red, and it looked really good with her skin and hair color. She contemplated drying her hair, but decided to let it go. Nick had seen her looking much worse.

Why had he done all of this? Was this what friends did for one another? None of her boyfriends had ever gone to these lengths for her. Nick was a sensitive guy, she knew, though he hid it fairly well. But this was … too much. They had always flirted, and they had been close friends. Was this a signal that he wanted it to go further?

Did she want it to go further? Though she appreciated that Nick was a good-looking guy, she hadn't really given it more thought than that. She couldn't, and work with him each day. Now, she wasn't working with him each day. What if he did want their friendship to be more?

Would that be so bad? She could do a hell of a lot worse than Nick Stokes. Handsome, strong, smart, kind, and best of all, emotionally available – what was there not to love. They balanced each other's personalities. She did love Nick, as a friend. Could there be more there?

"You're an idiot," she said to her reflection. Time to go face Nick, who wanted nothing more than friendship, she was sure.

She walked down the hallway and into the open kitchen/living room, carrying the half full wine bottle. She poured herself another glass. Nick walked over to the fridge and got himself another Sam Adams Light.

"Wow, that stuff smells really good," he said when he walked by her. She was propped against the counter sipping her wine. She did smell really good, and she looked relaxed, more relaxed than he had seen in a while. The red robe was gorgeous on her. He pulled the pizza boxes out of the oven, and placed two slices of pizza on a plate for her. He put three slices on his own plate – two supremes and one from her pizza. "You should wear red more often," he commented. "I did really good," he said, carrying their plates into the living room. He had an exaggerated swagger in his walk. She laughed.

"I am exfoliated, cleansed and moisturized. This was really sweet, Nick. You shouldn't have done all of this," she said, sitting beside him on her couch. She was suddenly very aware of just how good he smelled as well. Her stomach knotted up, and she felt very fake as she said lightly, "What movies did you bring?"

"An eclectic mix," Nick said brightly. "I have "Hellboy", which I know you love, though you pretend not to. And I have "Stagecoach", one of my personal favorite John Wayne movies, and then we have "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", which everybody loves." He smiled at her. Sara suddenly felt as though she were going to combust into flames. Was she just being a major horn dog, or what? How many times had Nick smiled at her in the last five years? What was so different about tonight? "You should really wear red more often," he said softly as he handed her the plate of pizza and started the movie.

"Why are you doing all of this?" Sara asked. "Even past boyfriends haven't done this kind of thing for me," she said, and instantly regretted it.

"Obviously, you've always dated the wrong guys," Nick offered back. "So did I get the spa experience right?"

"Pretty good, though I would have had a massage and a pedicure," she said, trying to act as normally as she could.

"Well I don't know how good I am at painting toe nails, but I'll try anything once," he said, laughing.

"That's OK. I can probably handle my own toe nails." They sat in a bit of silence until the movie started. Both were wondering where all these new, awkward feelings were coming from suddenly. Maybe they weren't that sudden, maybe they had just been hidden, or restrained.

Sara had relaxed during the movie. Nick was right, she really did love "Hellboy", though she didn't advertise it. It was just the kind of geeky, sci-fi that made her feel like a giggly 12-year-old girl again. She wasn't sure why, it was just so cool.

"That is the best line," Sara said, reaching for Nick's beer and taking a quick swig.

"What's that?" asked Nick. He picked up their plates and walked into the kitchen, snagging himself another beer. "You want one, Sar?" he asked.

"Nah," she said, turning to watch him walk back. "You know, there at the end, when he tells her that he told the ancient chaos gods that if they took her, they would have to deal with him. That he would come in after her," she finished as he sat down.

"You are really a romantic at heart," Nick said, smiling at her. "A geeky romantic, but a romantic nonetheless," he said, trying to avoid the nuclear glare she was giving him. It turned into a smile.

"Thanks for all of this Nick. You are really the best buddy I have ever had," she said, taking his hand. He pulled her into a hug.

"You really deserve someone to do this all of the time," he said and pulled back slightly, looking into her deep brown eyes. And then the moment turned on a dime. There was something in Sara's eyes, something he had always wanted to see if he looked into his heart.

"Are you … are you offering?" Sara asked slowly. She was thinking how good this felt, how absolutely right. How had she never seen it before? She loved Nick, as a friend, but now there was a feeling of desire she hadn't allowed herself to recognize before.

"Would you accept?" he asked, knowing that he was offering, though that hadn't been his intent to start with, at least, not the intent that he admitted to himself. He could feel the warmth of her body through the red robe. Her hair had begun drying in curls around her face. He couldn't resist the urge to reach up and brush through her hair with his hand. He then brought his hand to her cheek. Though she hadn't spoke, she closed her eyes and rubbed her face against his hand. Nick leaned and kissed her softly, but firmly, meeting slightly parted lips. It was a questioning kiss at first, though it quickly turned passionate as the two realized how they felt.

When they stopped, both were slightly out of breath and dizzy from the rush of feelings and hormones.

"Did I ever tell you that I was a world class masseuse," Nick said softly. Sara smiled, and stood up, extending her hand to him.

"Show me," she said, and led him to her bedroom.

Nick woke to sound of Sara's alarm clock. He looked over to see that she was slapping at the buttons. Her hair was wild and tangled in the back, and he couldn't help but reach out and stroke her neck and shoulder. She turned over to look at him, pulling the sheet up over her chest, suddenly bashful.

"Hey," she said shyly. Nick thought he had seen all of Sara's smiles, but this was new. It was sweet and shy, and it was damn sexy.

"Hey yourself," he answered, letting his hand rub over her shoulder and lightly down her arm, until he found her fingertips. He brought them to his mouth, and kissed them lightly, then placed her palm on his chest. She scooted over to be closer to him.

"You might not want to put those fingertips near your mouth. You might not know where they've been," she said, suppressing a grin.

"I know exactly where they've been," he said, bringing them to his mouth and kissing them again. "Now my fingertips…" he said. Sara smacked him lightly on the chest before he could finish the thought. She leaned down and kissed him softly, then laid her head on his chest. He was rubbing her naked back, sending chills throughout her body. "So, do you want me to try the pedicure now?" he offered.

"I think I'll take a rain check on the pedicure," she said. "Though if I had known how good you were at full body massage, I would have done this a long time ago." She sighed contentedly. "How about I buy you breakfast, or supper, or whatever it is?"

"How about we order in and watch our other movies?" he said.

"Sounds good." She rolled out of bed and grabbed her robe, thinking about what had transpired that morning. She had never laughed so much during sex. It was weird that it had been so fun. It had always been fun, of course, but with Nick she was so happy. They had searched her nightstand and then her bathroom cabinets for a condom, to no avail. She _had_ been in a dry spell. Finally Nick had found one in the recesses of his gym bag. He had rushed into her bedroom, his hands up like a football referee.

"I score," he said. "Or I will." He had tackled her on the bed, both of them grinning and laughing like idiots. She hadn't laughed so much in too long. Now she felt absolutely giddy, and she couldn't keep from smiling.

She was looking over her take out menus when Nick strolled into the kitchen and came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the back of her neck.

"What if I said I wanted you for breakfast?" he asked, his voice muffled by her hair.

"We don't have any more condoms," she replied, thinking that the convenience store wasn't that far away.

"We found plenty of ways around that last night," was his answer. She turned and gave him a gap toothed smile. Nick suddenly felt as if his heart was constricted. It was so full of Sara, of this, that he knew it would jump right out of his chest.

"Sar, I don't want to scare you off, but I have to say this," he said. She looked concerned.

"What do you have to say?" she asked. She knew this was it. He was lowering the boom. This was a just a friendly screw, a total body spa experience, courtesy of Nick Stokes. They would still be friends. Sara tensed, thinking she knew what he was going to say. Though she tried to think that it wouldn't matter, she could already feel her only half repaired heart breaking into again.

"I did not plan for this to happen this way. I really intended it to only be a pick me up for you," he said. Sara began to turn away, trying to steel herself for the rest of his speech. She was already filling in the blanks.

"Yeah, well, it was quite the pick me up. But you know, Gil, Catherine, Ecklie … what would they all think," she said, hoping he couldn't hear her voice breaking. "I mean, this was just a one night thing. I understand." She couldn't look at him.

"Sar, turn around," he said, physically turning her by placing his hands on her shoulders. "Look at me," he said, and pulled her eyes up to him by putting his fingers under her chin. "I love you. I have loved you for a long time, I just… I just now realized it," he said softly. Sara squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears that had been brewing had escaped and trickled down her cheeks. Nick kissed each eye, kissing away the tears. "I only hoped that you might feel the same. I'm in this for the long haul, if you are," he finished. He was scared of what her words and her tears meant. He knew what he hoped.

"What about work? What about Gil and Catherine? What will Ecklie think?" she said.

"If they want to say something to you, they'll have to come through me," he answered. "I would take them all on for you. Let the whole of LVPD kiss my ass," he declared, glad to see a smile on her lips again.

"No one's ever done anything like this for me. No one's ever been as good to me as you are, and I'm not talking about this morning. I am talking about since I met you," she said. "I can't turn away from this. So the whole of LVPD can kiss my ass too."

They shared a tender kiss.

"You love me," Nick said, in a boasting tone of voice.

"Yeah. Now go get some food," she said, pushing him away and swatting his butt with the take out menu. "And a diet Cherry coke," she added as Nick walked out of the door. In a moment she heard the horn blowing from her driveway. She rushed out of the door to see what was wrong.

Nick was standing at his SUV door, blowing the horn.

"What's wrong?" shouted Sara.

"I love Sara Sidle, and she loves me!" Nick shouted to anyone who would listen. He grinned at Sara, jumped into the vehicle and drove away. Sara shut her door, hoping the neighbors weren't listening. Then again, she hoped they were.

"I love Nick Stokes, and he loves me," she said quietly, still not able to wipe the goofy grin off her face.

The End


End file.
